Budget allocation for content distribution

Abstract

An example budget allocation process may include: determining how to allocate a budget among different content distribution mechanisms, and generating a graphical user interface showing allocations of the budget among the different content distribution mechanisms, where the graphical user interface includes elements to vary the allocations, and where the elements are movable to trigger variations in the allocations. The example process may also include: receiving an input from the graphical user interface; determining a reallocation of the budget among the different content distribution mechanisms based on the input; and updating the graphical user interface using the reallocation of the budget among the different content distribution mechanisms. The graphical user interface may be updated so that at least some of the elements and information relating to the content distribution mechanisms reflect the reallocation of the budget.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method performed by one or more processing devices, comprising:
 determining, using the one or more processing devices, how to allocate a budget among different content distribution mechanisms, wherein a content distribution mechanism comprises a method of distributing content over one or more communications media;   generating a graphical user interface showing allocations of the budget among the different content distribution mechanisms, the graphical user interface comprising elements to vary the allocations, the elements being movable to trigger variations in the allocations;   receiving an input from the graphical user interface, the input indicating that at least one of the elements has been moved;   determining, using the one or more processing devices, a reallocation of the budget among the different content distribution mechanisms based on the input received from the graphical user interface; and   updating the graphical user interface using the reallocation of the budget among the different content distribution mechanisms, the graphical user interface being updated so that at least some of the elements and information relating to the content distribution mechanisms reflect the reallocation of the budget.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 locking one or more budget allocations to corresponding content distribution mechanisms;   wherein the reallocation is determined without affecting the one or more budget allocations to the corresponding content distribution mechanisms.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the elements comprise sliders and wherein the information relating to the content distribution mechanisms comprises content distribution statistics for a content distribution mechanism that correspond to a budget allocation for the content distribution mechanism; and
 wherein updating the graphical user interface comprises changing display of at least some of the elements and at least some of the content distribution statistics.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein changes to display of at least some of the elements and at least some of the content distribution statistics are performed in real-time. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the content distribution mechanisms comprises:
 one or more options for distributing content that falls within a category of the at least one content distribution mechanism.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , further comprising:
 locking an allocation for at least one of the options;   wherein the allocation for at least one of the options is unaffected by the reallocation; and   wherein reallocation affects at least one other option within the at least one content distribution mechanism but allocations for other content distribution mechanisms are unaffected by the reallocation.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 5 , further comprising:
 locking an allocation for at least one of the options;   wherein the allocation for at least one of the options is unaffected by the reallocation; and   wherein reallocation affects a content distribution mechanism other than the at least one content distribution mechanism.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein determining how to allocate the budget comprises:
 for multiple content distribution campaigns:
 identifying distribution clusters associated with a campaign for content distribution, a distribution cluster comprising a type of information used to distribute content and one or more instances of the type of information; and 
 determining relative conversion rates for the distribution clusters, a relative conversion rate indicating a performance of a distribution cluster relative to a baseline performance for the campaign, at least some of the distribution clusters using different types of information to distribute content; and 
   using relative conversion rates for similar distribution clusters in different campaigns in determining how to allocate the budget among the different content distribution mechanisms.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein determining reallocation of the budget comprises:
 for multiple content distribution campaigns:
 identifying distribution clusters associated with a campaign for content distribution, a distribution cluster comprising a type of information used to distribute content and one or more instances of the type of information; and 
 determining relative conversion rates for the distribution clusters, a relative conversion rate indicating a performance of distribution cluster relative to a baseline performance for the campaign, at least some of the distribution clusters using different types of information to distribute content; and 
   using relative conversion rates for similar distribution clusters in different campaigns in determining how to reallocate the budget among the different content distribution mechanisms.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 entering a cap into the graphical user interface for restraining reallocation of advertising budget.   
     
     
         11 . One or more machine-readable storage devices storing instructions that are executable by one or more processing devices to perform operations comprising:
 determining how to allocate a budget among different content distribution mechanisms, wherein a content distribution mechanism comprises a one or more machine-readable storage devices of distributing content over one or more communications media;   generating a graphical user interface showing allocations of the budget among the different content distribution mechanisms, the graphical user interface comprising elements to vary the allocations, the elements being movable to trigger variations in the allocations;   receiving an input from the graphical user interface, the input indicating that at least one of the elements has been moved;   determining a reallocation of the budget among the different content distribution mechanisms based on the input received from the graphical user interface; and   updating the graphical user interface using the reallocation of the budget among the different content distribution mechanisms, the graphical user interface being updated so that at least some of the elements and information relating to the content distribution mechanisms reflect the reallocation of the budget.   
     
     
         12 . The one or more machine-readable storage devices of  claim 11 , wherein the operations comprise locking one or more budget allocations to corresponding content distribution mechanisms; and
 wherein the reallocation is determined without affecting the one or more budget allocations to the corresponding content distribution mechanisms.   
     
     
         13 . The one or more machine-readable storage devices of  claim 11 , wherein the elements comprise sliders and wherein the information relating to the content distribution mechanisms comprises content distribution statistics for a content distribution mechanism that correspond to a budget allocation for the content distribution mechanism; and
 wherein updating the graphical user interface comprises changing display of at least some of the elements and at least some of the content distribution statistics.   
     
     
         14 . The one or more machine-readable storage devices of  claim 13 , wherein changes to display of at least some of the elements and at least some of the content distribution statistics are performed in real-time. 
     
     
         15 . The one or more machine-readable storage devices of  claim 11 , wherein at least one of the content distribution mechanisms comprises:
 one or more options for distributing content that falls within a category of the at least one content distribution mechanism.   
     
     
         16 . The one or more machine-readable storage devices of  claim 15 , wherein the operations comprise locking an allocation for at least one of the options;
 wherein the allocation for at least one of the options is unaffected by the reallocation; and   wherein reallocation affects at least one other option within the at least one content distribution mechanism but allocations for other content distribution mechanisms are unaffected by the reallocation.   
     
     
         17 . The one or more machine-readable storage devices of  claim 15 , wherein the operations comprise locking an allocation for at least one of the options;
 wherein the allocation for at least one of the options is unaffected by the reallocation; and   wherein reallocation affects a content distribution mechanism other than the at least one content distribution mechanism.   
     
     
         18 . The one or more machine-readable storage devices of  claim 11 , wherein determining how to allocate or to reallocate the budget comprises:
 for multiple content distribution campaigns:
 identifying distribution clusters associated with a campaign for content distribution, a distribution cluster comprising a type of information used to distribute content and one or more instances of the type of information; and 
 determining relative conversion rates for the distribution clusters, a relative conversion rate indicating a performance of a distribution cluster relative to a baseline performance for the campaign, at least some of the distribution clusters using different types of information to distribute content; and 
   using relative conversion rates for similar distribution clusters in different campaigns in determining how to allocate or to reallocate the budget among the different content distribution mechanisms.   
     
     
         19 . The one or more machine-readable storage devices of  claim 11 , wherein the operations comprise:
 entering a cap into the graphical user interface for restraining reallocation of advertising budget.   
     
     
         20 . A system comprising:
 memory storing instructions that are executable; and   one or more processing devices to execute the instructions to perform operations comprising:
 determining how to allocate a budget among different content distribution mechanisms, wherein a content distribution mechanism comprises a method of distributing content over one or more communications media; 
 generating a graphical user interface showing allocations of the budget among the different content distribution mechanisms, the graphical user interface comprising elements to vary the allocations, the elements being movable to trigger variations in the allocations; 
 receiving an input from the graphical user interface, the input indicating that at least one of the elements has been moved; 
 determining a reallocation of the budget among the different content distribution mechanisms based on the input received from the graphical user interface; and 
 updating the graphical user interface using the reallocation of the budget among the different content distribution mechanisms, the graphical user interface being updated so that at least some of the elements and information relating to the content distribution mechanisms reflect the reallocation of the budget.